About Us

About Us

The RSPCA runs 40 shelters and employs around 1,000 staff. It costs more than $100 million each year to deliver all of our services which help improve the lives of Australian animals. Most of this money comes from public donations and fundraising initiatives, as well as business partnerships, grants and RSPCA patrons.

Mission, Vision and Objectives

The RSPCA’s mission is to prevent cruelty to animals by actively promoting their care and protection. To achieve this, the RSPCA works to enforce animal cruelty laws and prompt new legislation where required. The RSPCA also operates animal care and adoption facilities, and seeks to raise community awareness regarding the humane treatment of animals. In addition, the RSPCA works with government and industry to establish standards for animal care.

RSPCA Charter

RSPCA Australia believes that animals must be treated humanely. Where humans make use of animals or interfere with their habitat, they should bestow a level of care befitting human dignity as rational, intelligent, compassionate beings, and a level of care merited by the nature of the animal as a sentient creature capable of responding to human care and attention. Such care should be marked by sympathy, consideration, compassion and tenderness towards animals.

How We Govern Ourselves

RSPCA Australia is the federal body of the eight autonomous state and territory Australian Member Societies. RSPCA Australia establishes national policies and positions on animal welfare, as well as working with both government and industry on national animal welfare issues.

Meet The Team

Our History

The first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Australia was formed in Victoria in 1871. Since then, RSPCA Member Societies have been established in every State and Territory, culminating in the formation of a national body, RSPCA Australia, in 1980. RSPCA Australia’s two major objectives were: 1) To give the RSPCA movement in Australia a national presence; and 2) To promote unity and commonality of purpose between the eight Member Societies.

RSPCA Australia collects your personal information in order to achieve our animal welfare and related purposes. We may use it to provide you with information, services and products.

Without your information, we may not be able to provide you with the requested services or products, or with information about campaigns, activities, products and services that you may be interested in.

We may disclose your information to state and territory RSPCA organisations which are members of RSPCA Australia, and those organisations will use your information in accordance with their privacy policies. We will also disclose your information when legally required. In some cases we use third parties to manage our data collection and storage, some of who may store information overseas. Overseas recipients are located in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

For more details see our Privacy Policy which includes information about how to access and correct your personal information, and also how to complain if you think we have breached your privacy.